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More on Burnett

If nothing else, yesterday's news that A.J. Burnett wanted to pitch in 2014 generated a spirited debate among Orioles fans.

The club should make an aggressive play for him. The club should avoid him and his inflated ERAs during his last two seasons with the Yankees, and focus on Bronson Arroyo, Ervin Santana or Ubaldo Jimenez.

Choose a side.

I'll gladly take Burnett and pair him with Chris Tillman. He's an upgrade for the rotation. He's a proven 200-innings guy with little risk.

The Orioles won't have to make a big financial commitment to him. They won't have to give up their first-round pick in the upcoming draft. And they can play the "Monkton-Baltimore" card.

In the last six seasons, Burnett has made 34, 33, 33, 32, 31 and 30 starts. How many current pitchers on the Orioles' 40-man roster can match that streak?

Anyone who thinks it's obvious that the Orioles would have interest in Burnett based simply on their desire to sign a starting pitcher needs to peruse the list of free agents. The Orioles will pass on the majority of them.

Burnett is a special case, for the reasons I've stated.

This isn't the first time that Burnett has been linked to the Orioles. Pick a year.

Back in 2005, they nearly traded outfielder Larry Bigbie and pitcher Hayden Penn to the Marlins for Burnett and third baseman Mike Lowell. The deal was so close to being finalized, then-manager Lee Mazzilli almost contacted Lowell with the news. But the deal fell apart because of concerns over Lowell's health and his contract.

The Orioles, from what I've been told, wanted another $1 million from the Marlins. They were rejected.

Relievers Jorge Julio and Steve Kline, and Marlins minor league outfielder Eric Reed, also were involved in various proposals.

Maybe it's Burnett's destiny to wear an Orioles uniform.

A report surfaced on CBSSports.com yesterday that Jimenez may be willing to settle for a three-year deal, making the Orioles one of the favorites to sign him. However, they'd still prefer to hold onto that first-round pick.